What's Not: Has some thickness, so you'll need to use docks with spacious port for the 30-pin connector.

Reviewed by Tong Zhang

We've seen a lot of iPhone cases, but the Primovisto case is very unique in both design and the material. The Primovisto Croi Limited Edition is made with bamboo treated with wax coatings and wood oils. These charming cases are handmade in Ireland and come in many woodcarving designs that adorn the back of these cases. The case maker offers cases for the iPhone and iPad models. They're currently offering iPhone 4S/4 cases and will have one for the iPhone 5 as well.

Design

The Primovisto Croi Bamboo iPhone Case is a super sturdy case thanks to the triple reinforced material. Bamboo is very durable yet you can make it pretty slim and still keep the structural support. Primovisto case is made with hand selected high quality bamboo and is made with a single piece to keep it strong. The surface of the case has hand rubbed oils and waxes that keep the case from moisture damage and scratches that non-treated wood gets. The treatment also gives the wood a smoother surface and a warm tone.

The Primovisto Bamboo iPhone Case comes in two pieces, and it's very easy to install the case and take it apart. The interior of the case has a layer of soft lining that ensures nothing will scratch the back of your iPhone. Though there's soft lining covering the sides on the interior, the case touches the phone on its metal frame and won't scatch it or leave marks.

The Primosvisto Bamboo case is unique not only because the bamboo material and its handmade process, it also features various artists' original work. The Croi design, for example, has an Irish theme. The artist Kady O'Connell uses a variety of symbols that represent traditional Irish values complete with a lovely quote in Gaelic: My Hear Is in Ireland. There are several other unique designs complete with screen savers for your iPhone. The Limited Edition collection also has artist number to mark the number of the case in that particular series.

Features

The Primovisto Bamboo Case for iPhone is light weighing at 0.8 ounce. It has very nicely made cutouts for buttons, ports and camera on the phone, and the cutouts are very nicely beveled to make it very easy to use the controls. The Croi case has a long and beveled cutout for the side volume and silent buttons, a generous and beveled cutout for the power button on the top along with a fitted cutout for the audio out jack and the top mic. The case has a perfect cutout for the rear camera and flash allowing it to fully illuminate. The bottom of the case has cutouts for the speaker grill, bottom mic and the 30-pin connector. You should have no trouble using the USB cable while your iPhone is in the case, but the added thickness will require a longer 30-pin connector in your alarm clocks, speakers and docks.

The Primovisto case wraps around the sides of the iPhone and creates a barrier for the display so that when you put your phone face down, the case touches the surface instead of your phone's display.

Conclusion

It's not everyday you see a unique case like the Primovisto Bamboo Case for iPhone or this attractive. The case offers very good protection thanks to the hard wood shell, and it's light and reasonably slim. The cutouts are nicely done cutouts and they make it very easy to use the phone. We love the detailing of the case with treated surface and artist's design. If you're searching for a one of a kind case, the Primovisto Bamboo Case for iPhone is worth a look. As mentioned, they'll have iPhone 5 models.